Lynn’s troupe’s show

I spotted this advert for friend Lynn’s show, coming to the village soon. I bought tickets for Chris, Ailie and me.

The path through the fields to the village has been closed with no warning - workmen are making it safe to walk on after rain over the years made a deep channel through it. Before the duke fenced in the path this never happened.

Chris met me at the bottom of the Narrow Nick with her car and we went to Lady Bridge so that her dogs could get a run and a swim in the river. Then I had coffee at her house before walking home.

I feel so sorry for her but a bit infuriated as well. Her unemployed son had lived with her for 6 months now since his relationship in Manchester broke up. He is 36 and is qualified to teach maths but after a year decided he didn’t like it. That’s the only work he has had. She says he refuses to sign on for benefits, saying he’s looking for work in this area. However he misses his little boy so goes to bring him here for a couple of weeks then takes him back. But Chris is paying to feed him and the cost of running his car too and she is finding with increased food prices etc that she is no longer able to afford what she could before. I asked if she’d heard the discussions about having ground rules on the Women’s Hour programme about grown-up children, not able to afford high rents/mortgages, moving back to parents. She says she doesn’t need any ground rules as they get on well and it’s important he sees his son. She does the garden, cleans, changes beds and cooks but says if she’s tired she’ll ask him to cook. I don’t believe it is a good situation for either of them, but ultimately all I can do is listen.